Preserving battery life

[The Streets]

My laptop tends to be on quite a lot. As such, it spent a lot of time over the years with the AC plugged in, charging. This killed the battery, to the point that it will now last less than 10 minutes on full charge, without a wall socket connection.

I'm buying a new laptop next month, and would like to know what steps I can take towards preserving the batteries life this time round. I figure plugging in the AC until it's fully charged and then running without until near-empty and then charging to full again is the cycle that I should follow, but I'd like your advice nonetheless.

Thanks.

[Greg]

(I hope this link works)...

Read Chris's Battery Guide thread on tips about that...just having the battery shouldn't hurt it, though when they get old they show their age.

[chrisyano]

My laptop tends to be on quite a lot. As such, it spent a lot of time over the years with the AC plugged in, charging. This killed the battery, to the point that it will now last less than 10 minutes on full charge, without a wall socket connection.

Li-Ion batteries will do that over time. The elements in the battery degrade slowly. Average lifespan is estimated to be between 1-3 years (although I have seen them last longer).

I'm buying a new laptop next month, and would like to know what steps I can take towards preserving the batteries life this time round. I figure plugging in the AC until it's fully charged and then running without until near-empty and then charging to full again is the cycle that I should follow, but I'd like your advice nonetheless.

Actually doing that will shorten the overall lifespan of your battery. As Greg mentioned, please read through the battery guide at the top of this forum for more detailed information.

[The Streets]

Excellent, I'll give that a read when I get the machine. Thanks.